Alliance articles

Letter bombs.

British firms need to wake up to the threat they're facing every day – terrorism isn't something that happens to someone else. 

The recent spate of letter bomb attacks shows that businesses of all kinds can be at risk and company bosses have a duty to safeguard their staff as far as possible, says Alliance CEO John McLaren-Stewart.

"These recent attacks show that we are all at risk and we can’t afford to ignore the dangers. Corporate Britain needs to wake up to the threat and take steps to minimise the fallout," he said.

"Companies must carry out proper risk assessments and identify their particular danger areas and make sure their staff understand the need for added security.

"It is important that security is seen as a common responsibility and staff are able to easily voice any concerns they may have.

"In the case of letter bombs, a sensible precaution might be to move the mailroom away from the main office building. It's also vital that everyone knows what to do if they come across a suspect package."

Mr McLaren-Stewart said the ongoing threat meant security had to be top of the agenda for the country's businesses. Terrorism of all sorts was a constant risk – not just letter bombs and other physical attacks, but attacks on IT systems, food chains and water supplies.

"It's the management's responsibility to build structured and managed resilience and to lead their company to a culture of awareness. It's their duty to carry out a thorough risk assessment and prepare for the unthinkable," he said.

Notes

For more information on business risk assessment, contact your account manager or email dominic.roe@allianceweb.co.uk